Acne Medications

Early treatment for your skin with the right acne medications is important.

Don’t wait for your acne to advance into cysts before seeking professional medical help.

In this article we guide you through the options – prescriptive medicines, oral antibiotics, topical treatments, retinol and oral contraceptives to show you there are a range of solutions appropriate to the severity of your acne condition.

Medicines That Doctors Use To Treat Acne

1. Accutane – to be taken orally for a period of at least 4 to 5 months on a daily basis. Believed to be efficient in preventing the scarring on your skin. However, there are numerous side effects associated with this acne medication.

2. Topical Retinoids – Topical retinoid such as tretinoin (Retin-A), adapalene (Differin), and tazarotene (Tazorac). Vitamin A addresses the main cause of acne such as the development of clogged pores, production of excess oils, swelling of the skin and the presence of bacteria.

3. Oral Retinoids – Isotretinoin (such as Sotret) and tazarotene (Tazorac) can have serious side effects. Women who take isotretinoin or tazarotene also need to use an effective birth control method or should not be taken if you are pregnant.

4. Topical and Oral Antibiotics – medicines such as clindamycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, and tetracycline are some of the topical creams and lotions which attack the bacteria that are present in acne cysts to reduce the inflammation within.

5. Topical creams – Azelaic acid, such as Azelex, Benzoyl peroxide, such as Brevoxyl or Triaz. Although Benzoyl peroxide is known to be effective in reducing the quantity of bacteria on the skin, prolonged use can result in dryness of the skin, contact dermatitis and cause skin irritations. In the case of Azelaic acid, it can be effective in evening out inflammation discoloration on darker complexions.

6. Salicylic acid, such as Propa pH or Stridex are considered excellent options to topically treat acne as they usually have fewer and less serious side effects than oral medicines.

7. Anti-Androgens – usually prescribed to more severe cases of acne infections. Androgen blockers such as spironolactone can be useful in controling the secretion of a certain hormone so is prescribed only to women.

8. Corticosteroid injections – The cysts are injected with steroids that are targeted to diminish the swelling after a few days. This procedure to treat cystic acne can be highly effective in preventing acne scars.

9. Female oral contraceptives – Low-dose birth control pills that contain estrogen (such as Estrostep, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, or Yaz), have been proven to work well on moderate acne flare-ups in women throughout their menstrual cycles.

The severity of your acne problem determines the type of acne medications your need. In fact, the best acne medication for acne often requires a combination of medicines to help manage the severity and frequency of your acne breakouts.

Treating your skin with the right acne medications is important. However, there are many simple methods you can use every day at home to treat flare-ups and even eliminate acne from occurring.